Wesley Church

Opened in Lonsdale Street in 1858 Wesley Church replaced the simple chapels, that had marked Victorian Methodism, with a bluestone gothic building. Designed by Joseph Reed (1823-90), the architect responsible for Scots' Church and the Independent Church in Collins Street, the church could seat 1800. Its spire dominated the Melbourne skyline. However, its location on the edge of the 'back slums' saw the church deserted by its respectable congregation during the 1880s. Identified as the base for the new Wesley Central Mission in 1893, the church was saved from demolition by financial constraints and is now one of two Uniting Churches in the inner city.

Shurlee Swain

References

Ziegler, Harriet, Church with a mission: The story of Wesley Church and Wesley Central Mission, Wesley Central Mission, Melbourne, 1989. Details